From the author of The Arab Predicament and Dream Palace of the Arabs comes a beautiful and haunting memoir of growing up in Lebanon in the '50s and '60s-the story of a sensitive young man and budding intellectual caught between tradition and modernity, east and west. As one of the most profound and insightful scholars of the Middle East, Fouad Ajami's sensibility was powerfully shaped by his childhood and youth in Lebanon in the '50s and '60s. The time was a transitional one-not only for the Middle East, but for America and the world. Lebanon in this era was just coming into its own as a cosmopolitan destination of the international jet set as well as earnest American educators seeking to modernize Arab society. The disruptive forces of the Middle East-the Cold War, the Palestinian conflict, religious extremism, the money and oil of the Gulf-were only just beginning to appear. In this haunting and beautifully written memoir of his Lebanese childhood, the late Middle East scholar, Fouad Ajami, casts a discerning light into the corners and alleyways of an Arab reality that would later erupt into full view.

At a time when it is America's leading candidate for the star role of Armageddon, Los Angeles still reigns as the destination par excellence and de facto trendsetter for the United States. Despite its curse of ancient and modern-day plagues-what other city can claim the rights to earthquakes and smog as well as riots and gang warfare?-Los Angeles remains the mythical source for the blood flowing through the American heart: the "pot of gold" that lies on the other coast of the rainbow. In Translating LA, Peter Theroux leads us beyond the rainbow in an affectionate and anecdotal guide to the human centers of Los Angeles. By bringing LA's thousand-and-one ethnic enclaves together with its broad range of social classes, Theroux understands LA by stretching across its fault lines with results that are "surprising and illuminating" (LA Reader). With its genuine sensitivity towards past, present, and future, Translating LA searches the souls of Angelenos to deliver a remarkable commentary on America's most complex and diverse city.

"[A] stunningly candid portrait of culture and politics in the Middle East." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

In this provocative and incisive memoir, Peter Theroux reveals the Middle East only as a true insider can. Stationed as a journalist in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for most of his seven years in the region, Theroux explodes the romantic images of Arabia, but replaces them with the even more intriguing reality of fanatic religious men, overwhelmingly rich and powerful royal families, and the vast gulf in understanding between Arabs and Westerners.

"Theroux's fascination with and deep knowledge of the Arab world is plainly evident, but the charm of Sandstorms is his ability to tell a tale. Current events in the Middle East make it an even more compelling read at the moment." —Los Angles Times

"Theroux scorns the cliches about Arabia. His reporting is accurate and enriched by a strong sense of irony." —Washington Post Book World

"Sandstorms is a wonderful book, written with humor, verve, and sensitivity. It is alive with the images and voices of a mysterious land Theroux came to understand well." —David Lamb, author of The Arabs